How To Get An Alert When An App Accesses The Webcam Or Mic In macOS

Malicious websites and apps can gain access to your webcam and microphone. A lot of people might consider this to be an urban legend but there is truth to it. Unfortunately, a website or an app that does this isn’t going to be easy to detect by the average user. Tech savvy users might be able to tell if their webcam or mic is being accessed but for the ordinary user, and Mark Zuckerberg, you likely have to tape a bit of paper over your webcam to be safe.

Oversight is a free macOS app that makes this much easier. It monitors all connected webcams and microphones and alerts you when they are accessed. It’s a very simple app that monitors current processes and can identify which app started a process to access these two devices.

Roger Stringer spends most of his time solving problems for people, and otherwise occupying himself with being a dad, cooking, speaking, learning, writing, reading, and the overall pursuit of life. He lives in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada